This invention relates to dentistry in general, and more particularly to a dental tool for insertion and removal of a dental retaining splint, and positioning the dental retaining splint for facilitating accurate location of holes to be drilled in the teeth.
An improved dental retaining splint was described in the aforementioned parent application, Serial No. 070,247. The dental splint includes an elongated bar-like member with a number of tubular members extending therefrom. The tubular members each have axial openings extending therethrough. The splint is first temporarily held in a channel formed between adjacent teeth with the tubular members extending upwardly from the teeth. The axial openings are utilized as guides for a drill in order to form pilot holes in the teeth. The splint is then removed and the pilot holes function as lead holes for the formation of enlarged bores to receive the same tubular members therein. The splint is then repositioned so that the tubular members are disposed downwardly into the bores formed therefor. An inlay fills the channel and covers the splint in the final procedure step.
In utilizing such dental retaining splint, various manipulations are required. For example, initially when the splint is used as a drill guide, a temporary adhesive is utilized to hold the dental splint in place while the pilot holes are being drilled. However, it would be beneficial if the temporary adhesive could be eliminated and if the drill guide could nevertheless be held in place without the use of the adhesive. Additionally, even if the adhesive is used, occasionally insufficient time is provided for the adhesive to suitably harden and the drill guide may slightly shift in place. It would therefore be helpful to have a tool which could hold the drill guide in place while forming the various pilot holes, and at the same time accurately position the drill guide during the formation of the holes to be drilled.
Furthermore, each time the splint is placed on the teeth, it must be grasped and held in place. The splints are generally of small size and it becomes difficult for the dentist to manipulate them. This is especially the case with the retaining splints of the parent application, where the splints are initially used as drill guides and subsequently repositioned and used as the splint itself. The splints must therefore be placed and removed from the teeth numerous times during their use.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a manipulating tool which can grasp the dental splint and easily place and remove it from the teeth.
Accordingly, it would be desirous to have a suitable dental tool which could be utilized as a manipulating device for placing and removing the dental retaining splint, and could also be utilized as a holding device for suitably aiding in the formation of the various pilot holes in the teeth.